Pages

Sunday, 3 May 2015

From Ukraine to Yemen: The Looming Shadow of the Third World War

-Rajesh
Tyagi/ 3.5.2015

The
contradictions of capitalism, that were left unresolved by the two world wars,
have continued to haunt the humanity since then, resulting into innumerable armed conflicts between capitalist national states and are ripe again to repose the danger of a
third world war. The danger is imminent. The imperialist powers are all out to
attempt another resolution of these contradictions through a major armed conflict
among themselves. This reckless conflict between imperialist powers for
hegemony over the world economy, would far surpass the earlier wars, in its
intensity and severity. As the rival powers are armed with weapons of mass
destruction including the nuclear ones, the WWIII is logically speculated to be
a major nuclear conflagration that threatens to extinct the whole human race.

In 1989, the
then President of Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Stalinist ruler, promoting
the farce of Perestroika and Glasnost, claimed that a new world order has
emerged where capitalism has undergone a sea change and has lost its predatory
character. Gorbachev was instrumental, like his other Stalinist predecessors,
in paving the way for disintegration of the Soviet Union and restoration of
capitalism in Russia and other countries formerly integrated into the Soviet
Union.

The scenario
that has emerged after dissolution of the Soviet Union, however, is just
opposite to the fantasies of this Stalinist blockhead. World capitalism, stands
before us in its worst form ever, ready to impose yet another world war, the
most savage and devastating war in human history.

However the
fall of Soviet Union also did not result in emergence of a unipolar world under
hegemony of the US, as was anticipated by it. Rather the disintegration of the
Soviet Union has given rise to a rat race among the imperialist powers for hegemony
over the world. The destruction of the Soviet Union, coupled with colossal military
power of the US itself, have failed to set-off the economic decline of the US, but
could only delay it. All military attempts by the US, have miserably failed to
arrest its decline as a super power and to keep-off the rise of rival powers
like China, Germany and Japan, on world scenario.

The global imperialist offensive under the leadership of the US, masquerading behind the hoax of 'war on terror', that took off first in Afghanistan (2001) and then in Iraq (2003), has continued to spread through Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Iran, country after country. In order to keep its domination over the world economy, United States has overstretched its military forces, more and more depending upon them for its survival.In the
last year only, the US has carried out military expeditions in over 133
countries i.e. about 70% of the globe. This global hunt of US imperialism for complete
domination, supported by its western allies, is the major source of infinite
wars, conflicts and political destabilization of whole regions, all over the
world. Waged under farcical slogans of democracy, human rights and national
independence, these imperialist wars are the wars for unbridled domination and unlimited plunder of global resources. Both wings of the US political establishment,
the republicans and the democrats, have a tacit agreement between themselves in
support of this US policy dictated by the US elite.

All round
preparations for the war are in the offing, with dozens of armed conflicts
appearing at its threshold for fairy long period of time.

The recent engagement
of Saudi led Sunni Arab coalition in Yemen, to contain Houthi rebels backed by Shite
Iran, the tensions between US and Iran, fresh deployment of US Navy warships at
Strait of Hormuz- a pathway to Persian Gulf, the US tirade against Assad regime
in Syria, the destabilization of entire middle-east after toppling of Gaddafi
regime in Libya, by the US, military exercises by US led NATO forces next to borders
of Russia and China, and in response preparation for joint naval exercises by
Russia and China in Mediterranean Sea, the arming of fascist coalitions by the
US and its allies in Ukraine in support of fascist Kiev regime, military encirclement
of China as part of ‘Pivot to Asia’ program of US to isolate and contain China,
the reinforcing of forces in Phillipines and Vietnam against China, attempts of
US and its western allies at toppling Putin regime and subjugate Russia, all
demonstrate a massive built-up by imperialist powers for a third world war.

The Saudi
led coalition of Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Sudan and Morocco,
is directly aided by the US and its western allies, to fight against the Houthi
rebels, a shite movement in Yemen, backed by Iran, and more to destabilize Syria
and Iran. The battle that is being fought presently for control over capital Saana
and cities like Taiz and Aden in Yemen, is spreading to other regions also.
More than a thousand Yemenis have been killed and over four thousand injured
till date in the conflict. Al Qaeda operatives in South and East of Yemen under
the banner of AQAP and the ISIS, both support this Saudi coalition against
Houthis. In 2012 coup, a Saudi backed government, supported by US and the West
has taken to power in Yemen.

While Yemen
is one of the poorest countries in Middle-East, Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Orthodox
Monarchy ruled by spoiled Sheikhs, is the richest and biggest manipulator of
the world markets and largest oil supplier in the world. However, for the fear
of a military coup, Saudis have not developed a strong army, and have zero
experience in military engagements. Yet it is imperative for them to ward off
the conflict between the Sunni Al-Qaeda and Shite Houthis from their own
borders, that may be a potential threat to the Saudi Monarchy.

In conflict
over Ukraine, the imperialist rivalry finds its second major front opened
between US and Russia. After the coup, that placed the US backed fascist government
in power in Kiev, the Crimea, with open support from Russia, declared its
independence from Ukraine. While Russian backed insurgents are fighting the
Kiev government, the US is bent upon destabilizing Russia and overturning the
Putin regime, as a step towards subjugating Russia fully into the net of world
imperialism. After a full scale conflict was averted between US and Russia over
the question of Crimea, with backtracking of the western countries, the US has renewed
its pledge to send fresh consignments of weapons of mass destruction to the
fascist regime in Kiev.

Iran conflict,
that recently was on the verge of opening a third front of war, is merely
delayed for the time being, with signing of an agreement between Iran and G-6
countries, i.e. five member countries of UN security Council plus Germany. The
toothless agreement, subject to multiple interpretations, was part of the US
maneuvers to contain Iran and deter it from pursuit of its acclaimed nuclear program.
Establishment in Iran, however used this opportunity for bargaining a breathing
space for itself, while Russia immediately responded with pledge to supply
missiles to Iran that would provide a foolproof defence curtain to it in case
of a US provoked attack from Saudis or Israel.

In its drive
to dominate the world, the US is desperately attempting to expand its sphere of
influence around the globe. Apart from the major powers of the West Europe- France,
Britain, Germany- and in the middle east-Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Sudan,
Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, US has found allies in Canada, Australia Japan,
India, Philippines and Vietnam.

The
coalition of NATO forces, that appears so formidable and united, has its own fault
lines. Recently, the Western allies of the US had defied a US opposition to
join the China sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, based in
Beijing. Specially Germany is keenly interested in decline of the power US in
the regions of its own influence, like Asia and middle east. Similarly, these
allies are opposed to the policy of US to provoke an armed conflict against
Russia. On the other hand the alliance between Russia and China has its own limitations
as Russia has numerous border issues with China and itself looks upon China as
a rival in international market.

These
innumerable conflicts and rivalries between the capitalist national states are
the chief source of an arms race over the globe, that find their counterpart in imposition of austerity upon
social spending in the national budgets. The US, with largest budget in the
world, while sparing a whopping 562 billion dollars in base military spending,
proposes to spend a meager 70 billion for education and 84 billion for food
stamps for its entire citizenry. Similarly, India, one of the poorest countries,
that is unable to afford even basic
needs like food, potable water and shelter for its citizens, has given a 70%
increase in its military budget in last four years since 2011.

The
contradictions of capitalism have continued to deepen more and more over the last
century. Immense loss of lives and property was inflicted by the two world wars
and innumerable armed conflicts between and around them. Yet those
contradictions, instead of finding a resolution in these conflicts have grown
steadily and were sharpened with each passing day. The gangs of capitalists, organized
in national-states, are vying for ever larger shares for themselves in the proceeds
of the world economy. This unending hunt for profits over the globe, provokes
these gangs to trespass the territories under control of each other and demand
a division and re-division of the proceeds all the time. This hunt is germane
to a whole chain of conflicts among these national states. Needless to say, that this global war drive, is coupled with widespread assaults and reactionary suppression of all democratic rights and aspirations at home, in all capitalist countries.

The
capitalist national states alongside the private property in which they are
grounded, are the root cause of all wars and conflicts in our times. The world
economy, with an omnipresent tendency to expand outside, remains rooted in
these national states and private property. On their own, the economic forces cannot
liberate themselves from the deadly stranglehold of these national states. It
is for the working class, the most revolutionary of all productive forces in
our times, to overthrow the shackles of private property and national states
and liberate the world economy.

No pacifist
program of cursing the wars or appealing to and pleading before the capitalist leaders
and states against the wars, can reverse the relentless escalation of military violence, heading clearly towards a world war. Independent of the will and
wish of the individual bourgeois leaders, the wars are inevitable result of the
operation of an economy under control of capitalists and organized on a
capitalist basis. Notwithstanding the wishes of the leaders of capitalist national
states to achieve perpetual equilibrium and political stabilization, the objective
forces of capitalism are impelling these national states to go for war and
conflicts, one after the other. All negotiations, treaties and agreements among
these national states, are proving futile to restore peace and stability. With
each step ahead a new basis for fresh conflicts is being prepared. Mounting
tensions among the rival camps of the capitalist nations are driving the world
towards a global conflict. With each passing day, for which the major conflict
is postponed, the impulse to such drive, becomes far stronger than before.

The very same contradictions that led to two world wars are re-emerging with much more force. However, these very contradictions, that lie at the helm of the imperialist drive to new wars and conflicts, simultaneously constitute the basis for a struggle towards destruction of capitalism and the world socialist revolution too. The core task of revolutionary Marxists, in response to the imperialist war drive, is thus to prepare a global offensive of the international working class against capitalism and capitalist national states. The fight against impending war, is the foremost task of this preparation. The 'war against war' is the war for socialism!

It is only
the international working class that can prevent the devastating wars, and can
avert the larger danger of a third world war, by overthrowing capitalism, the
root cause of all wars, through a revolution, and replacing it with an economy organized
on a socialist basis under the dictatorship of the proletariat.